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West Indies fight but India chip away on rain-hit, attritional day
Rain cut short the opening session with only 10.4 overs possible in the pre-Lunch period. Jaydev Unadkat was expensive at the start of the day, being struck for boundaries by Kirk McKenzie. Mohammed Siraj bowled testing lines but the batters kept him at bay, with Brathwaite continuing with his solid batting. Ravichandran Ashwin came on with 10-odd minutes left in the first hour but it was Mukesh Kumar who dismissed fellow debutant McKenzie as the batter looked to play it through the off side but edged to the ‘keeper to depart for 32, ending a 46-run stand. It started raining soon after, forcing the players off the field and the umpires called for early Lunch.
Brathwaite crossed fifty early in the second session, getting there with a couple off Mukesh. The pacer tried to go short at Brathwaite who managed to clear the fence with an awkward pull for his first six. There were also extra runs for Brathwaite via overthrows and the West Indies captain punched an Ashwin delivery for three runs. India were otherwise disciplined, bowling in the right channels with persistence, but Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood were up to the task as they built a watchful partnership and ensured that they put away the loose deliveries.
Ashwin ended the partnership worth 40 off 128 deliveries, getting the better of Brathwaite’s defence with drift and spin. Athanaze looked to play his shots, executing sweeps and a cut off Ashwin to get going. India then lost a review when they went up for a caught behind appeal off Blackwood in Jadeja’s over while Athanaze survived a leg-before appeal and a review from India in Ashwin’s over, with the umpire’s call saving the batter. Blackwood and Athanaze batted through for the remainder of the extended second session, with only 57 runs being scored in 35.4 overs.
Jadeja struck early in the third session, getting one to turn sharply off the rough to catch the edge of Blackwood’s bat, with Ajinkya Rahane taking a stunning one-handed catch at first slip to end a 21-run fourth wicket partnership that came off 83 deliveries. Jadeja and Unadkat bowled in tandem and had the batters in trouble on a few occasions but Athanaze and Joshua Da Silva kept West Indies going as they took their side past the 200 mark. But their stand came to an end when Da Silva was bowled by an incoming delivery from Siraj. But just like the first session, rain stopped play soon after a wicket.
Play resumed after a nearly an hour’s break due to rain, with Siraj and Ashwin continuing the bowling. India opted for the second new ball in the 103rd over, with Mukesh and Siraj operating with it. Mukesh found some movement and troubled Athanaze on a couple of occasions, but no damage was done. With the light fadiing, India got Jadeja to bowl one over but the umpires decided to call it Stumps soon after.
Brief scores:
India 438 lead West Indies 229/5 (Kraigg Brathwaite 75, Alick Athanaze 37*; Ravindra Jadeja 2-37, Mukesh Kumar 1-35) by 209 runs.
The Rose Bowl, which has been awarded to the winner of ODI series between the women’s teams of Australia and New Zealand since 1985, has now been expanded to include T20Is as well.
New Zealand’s three match T20I tour of Australia, which begins on Sunday at the North Sydney Oval, will be the first T20I edition of the Rose Bowl. The teams will get to face off again for the trophy in March 2027 when they meet again for three ODIs, also in Australia.
For Rose Bowl series that include matches in both white-ball formats, the trophy will go to the team with the most wins overall. In case of a drawn series, the current holder will retain the trophy.
“The Rose Bowl is a prestigious trophy that holds a lot of meaning to current and past players, and it’s a series we’ve always taken a lot of pride in competing in,”Catherine Campbell, NZC’s chief cricket operations officer and a former New Zealand player, said. “With so much T20I cricket now being played, this is a brilliant opportunity to keep the Rose Bowl relevant and to build on the history between us and our Australian rivals.”
New Zealand captain Melie Kerr was excited by the broadening of opportunities to compete for the Rose Bowl.
“We’re all aware of what the Rose Bowl represents and the importance it holds in the White Ferns whakapapa [genealogy],” said Kerr. “Great players and teams have fought for it over the years and we’d love the opportunity to claim our own piece of that history.”
Australia have held the Rose Bowl continuously since wresting it back from New Zealand in 2000. Since that 3-0 win, Australia have won 18 times with one series – in 2008-09 – shared 2-2. Overall, Australia have won 26 of the 31 ODI series played for the Rose Bowl, with New Zealand winning three times and three series drawn.
North Sydney will host all three T20Is of the upcoming Rose Bowl series, on October 18, 20 and 22.
[Cricinfo]
US President Donald Trump claims the US Navy’s “effective” blockade has stopped all Iranian ships from crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy says a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil has struck a sea mine while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz through an “unauthorised” route.
The collision caused a huge explosion and a major fire on board the vessel, the IRGC said in a statement reported by semi-official Tasnim news agency.
It alleged that the tanker had turned off all tracking and radar systems, attempting to pass through the strait using deception and with US military support.
‘The Strait of Hormuz is closed’, the IRGC navy warned, adding that vessels violating Iranian regulations would face severe consequences for relying on US backing.
[Aljazeera]
Squad for the first three ODIs: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer [VC], KL Rahul [WK], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna*, Kuldeep Yadav
Squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav
[Cricbuzz]
Review of progress in reforms and modernisation of key state revenue-collecting institutions
Rose Bowl expanded to include Australia vs New Zealand T20Is
Trump claims US Navy blockade stops Iranian ships in Hormuz
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